Kuro No Shiro
by Thireven
Summary: The world is simply Black and White-good or evil. Or so the Soul Reapers think. Three Soul Reapers will go through a life-threatening journey to save the world and restore peace, but will it end in happiness or tragedy? Shuhei x OC
1. Prologue

'_**Kuro no Shiro…'**_

"_Captain Ukitake!"_

_Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of Squad 13, paused, his sword half-drawn, and standing slightly crouched, as his eyes widened. His snow white hair fell across his shoulder as he turned around to locate who had exclaimed his name. The sound of a leaves shaking caught his attention and he spun around, drawing his Zanpakuto as he did so. His sword clashed with another, and he narrowed his eyes before blinking in confusion as his enemy disappeared._

"_Captain Ukitake!" _

_The shout came again, and he stopped dead in his tracks before noticing Lieutenant Matsumoto and Captain Hitsugaya out of the corner of his eye. He spun around as he felt the Spiritual Pressure again. He raised his sword, blocking a strike before jumping backwards. He landed on a thick tree limb and pulled his sword back, stopping so that it was pointing outwards beside his waist. He placed his palm at the base of the blade and narrowed his eyes._

"_All waves rise now and become my shield! Lightning, strike now and become my blade!"_

_A wave of Spirit Energy flared up around him, surrounding him. It dispersed, and Jushiro stood there with two blades, which were connected one the hilts by a red rope-like chain, on which where five metal rectangular charms. "Sogyo No Kotowari!"_

"_He released his Shikai," Rangiku said, looking at her Captain, Toshiro, who nodded and unsheathed his sword. _

"_Let's go, Rangiku."_

"_Yes sir!" She responded, drawing her own sword._

_The two dashed forward just as the figure appeared infront of Jushiro, and Toshiro jumped forward, landing front of the taller Soul Reaper and blocking the enemy's blade. He pushed his blade against the figure's, who pulled their blade upwards and jumped into one of the trees. Toshiro turned around and looked at Jushiro, who wiped away a persistent bead of sweat._

"_Thank you, Hitsugaya," Jushiro said._

"_Don't mention it," Toshiro replied, before turning his head as he listened to the leaves. They rustled as a breeze came, and it was impossible to hear where the enemy might of gone. Rangiku, on the other hand, saw what looked like a cloak moving in a tree not too far away from the two Captains. The figure jumped out of the tree, and Rangiku ran forward._

"_Captain Hitsugaya, behind you!" She yelled._

_Toshiro spun around as he spotted the figure. It was bearing down on him, and fast. Jushiro jumped over the shorter Captain, raising his swords as he prepared to attack. The words that the enemy spoke next surprised all three of the Soul Reapers._

"_Reap!"_


	2. The Rogue Vizard Arc 1

Jushiro Ukitake sat up quickly, the white sheets which had covered him falling off onto the floor. He reached up and wiped sweat off of his forehead as he tried to steady his breathing. He slowly looked out of the window beside his bed, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the harsh light from the rising sun. He glanced around the room, noticing that he was in the medical bay because of an IV sitting beside his bed. He plucked the IV needle from his arm and stood up, coughing slightly while doing so. He covered his mouth and closed his eyes as the coughing fit continued, and once it was over he opened his eyes and looked down at his hand as he felt something warm on it. Naturally he had coughed up blood, but he knew that it was not from his sickness. He had not had an attack for quite a while. He looked down at himself and noticed that his midsection was bandaged.

_This must have been from the recent Hollow attack, _Jushiro thought to himself._ The Hollow I fought was oddly strong._

He walked towards the door and reached out unsteadily, ready to open it when it suddenly swung open, causing Jushiro to step backwards to avoid it. Rukia Kuchiki stood there, looking up at him with surprised eyes as her hair slid down from where it had been pulled back. A smile spread across her face as she closed her eyes.

"Captain Ukitake! I'm glad you're alright," she said, sighing in relief before opening her eyes and looking at him again, watching as he mirrored the smile that was on her face.

"Thank you for worrying about me so much," he said, his voice smooth. "Where is everyone, Rukia?"

"…They're at a sake party to celebrate Head Captain Yamamoto's birthday today," she explained, frowning and sighing gently, though for a very different reason than before. "I'm afraid Captain Kyouraku is quite drunk again."

"Ah, I see. I guess I should go stop him from drinking anymore sake," Jushiro said, laughing gently at the thought. Rukia took a step to her right to allow Jushiro to exit the room he was in before walking down the hall with him. "I assume that everyone is well, then?"

"There were no major casualties, aside from you," Rukia said, placing a hand on her hip as she explained what had happened. "Lieutenant Hisagi and I rushed you back here as fast as we could. Captain Unohana was able to heal a majority of your wounds before it became too serious. I was worried because the wound in your stomach was too much even for Captain Unohana to heal. She said that the Hollow that had injured you had a special ability that negated healing for any injuries it caused to its enemy."

"I see. Troublesome…," Jushiro said, before smiling again, causing Rukia to blush slightly at the sight. "I feel fine, I assure you."

"You should still take it easy today, Captain Ukitake," she responded, staring him in the eyes, causing him to blink slightly before closing his eyes.

"I will, Rukia," he said, smiling at her, causing her to blush even further. He noticed this as he opened his eyes, and he blinked in confused as he frowned slightly. "Are you alright? Do you feel ill?"

"I'm fine!" She replied quickly, trying not to embarrass herself even further. The blush faded slowly as she remembered why she had been sent to his room in the first place, and she reached down, pulling a paper from her shihakusho. She handed it to Jushiro, who took it and looked at it, then glanced at her. "It's from the other Captains, as well as the Lieutenants. I suppose it still applies."

Jushiro raised an eye before unfolding the paper and looking down at it. He smiled as he read it, his eyes scanning over it, and he began to laugh ever so gently. "I'm glad to know that they still care that much for me. I'm rather surprised that Soi Fon and Kenpachi signed it," he said.

"Kenpachi had some…troubles, so Yachiru assisted him," Rukia said, giggling slightly as she thought about it.

"Ah, I see. He was never one to care for how well one could write," Jushiro replied, placing his hands on his hips as he looked upwards.

Rukia nodded in agreement before turning her head so that she was looking forward. She was rather quiet afterwards, and Jushiro rubbed the back of his head as he walked. A few minutes later, they arrived outside of the Squad 4 Barracks, and Jushiro took in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. He looked down at Rukia, who glanced at him before smiling and walking forward swiftly. He sped up his pace to catch up with her, then slowed so that he was walking side by side with her.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Rukia," Jushiro said, finally deciding to speak up and break the silence. Rukia looked at him and raised her eyebrows, surprised, as he glanced to the side and away from her gaze. She paused, then shook her head as she smiled yet again.

"I wouldn't be a very good Lieutenant if I didn't worry about my Captain," she said, trying her best to reassure him.

"I suppose you're right," he said, laughing at himself for his reaction. "So, where is the sake party being held?"

"…At the Squad 13 barracks," Rukia said, laughing as a distraught look came upon Jushiro's face.

"Why would they host it in my Squad's barracks?" He asked, astonished at the information.

"Captain Kyoraku said you wouldn't mind…," she trailed off as she looked away, trying not to laugh.

Jushiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked downwards, shaking his head. "I guess that I shouldn't be surprised, though. He often does such things, and I wouldn't have minded if someone had asked me if I was well. I'll let it slide just this once."

Rukia giggled slightly at her Captain's reaction to the information before looking up at him. "Do you wish to attend the sake party? I understand if you don't, I can send a message to Captain Kyoraku for you."

"I should go myself," Jushiro said. "He won't listen unless I do. The Head Captain wouldn't be pleased if he were to get so drunk as to do things he doesn't mean to."

"I didn't think about that! Forgive me, Captain Ukitake…," Rukia said.

"Please, call me Jushiro," he said, laughing. "I'd rather you call me by my name, Lieutenant Kuchiki."

"You know I don't like being called that," Rukia said, huffing.

"I find that it suits your…personality…" He paused near the end of his sentence, stopping dead in his tracks, reaching up and covering his eyes with his hand as he felt sweat running down his forehead, feeling himself beginning to heat up slightly. Rukia did not notice until she had gone a few steps past him, and when she did, she turned around.

"…Captain Ukitake?" Rukia asked, looking at him with a concerned look on her face as she walked back towards him.

"I'm fine," he said, raising his free hand to stop her from saying anything else. He lowered his other hand and looked down at Rukia, who had stopped just a few steps infront of him. "Let's get to the sake party before Kyoraku gets out of hand, shall we?"

"Yes sir…"

-0-

Jushiro slid the doors open and walked into the large room, a hand resting on his midsection, with Rukia trailing behind him, only to blink in surprise, his eyes widening as his mouth opened slightly, stopping dead in his tracks. He tried to say something, though nothing came from his mouth, and he could only stare at the sight infront of him.

"Ukitake-san! There ya are! You're late to the party~!" Shunsui said, drunkenly walking up to the injured man, holding up a cup of sake as he tipped his hat down, causing his brown hair to fall infront of his face. "Here, have a drink, you deserve it!"

"Shunsui Kyoraku," Jushiro said, narrowing his eyes before sighing gently. "I told you to go easy when drinking."

"What? But this is the Head Captain's birthday party! Rukia helped us plan it, too!" Shunsui said. Jushiro glanced back at Rukia, who shyly smiled at her Captain, hoping not to be in trouble because of her involvement. He then looked at Shunsui again before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yamamoto, Rangiku, Kira, Shuhei-they're all drunk~! I tell ya, this is the best time I've ever had."

"Head Captain Yamamoto is drunk?" Jushiro asked, shocked, as he lowered his hand to his side.

"Uh-uh!" Shunsui said, taking another drink of his sake.

"Why would you let the Head Captain get drunk?" Jushiro exclaimed.

Everybody paused then, looking back at the trio, who were standing at the door. Shunsui glanced back at the other Captains and Lieutenants briefly, then to his friend Jushiro before grinning, causing Jushiro to raise an eyebrow. "Come on, it's just this once. Come in and drink."

"Kyoraku," Jushiro said warningly.

"Uh-oh, I know that tone of voice…," Shunsui said, before frowning as he tossed his sake backwards. Rangiku caught it without spilling a drop and downed it, waving at the drunk Captain, who had his back turned to her.

"I think you've all had enough to drink," Jushiro said.

"Jushiro Ukitake! I order you to drink some sake!" Yamamoto shouted, raising a glass and looking at the injured Captain.

"Sir, I don't think I'm in the best of conditions to drink at the moment," Jushiro replied, glancing towards his midsection.

"One drink won't kill ya!" Rangiku said, before glancing behind Jushiro at Rukia. "Hey, Rukia-chan~! Come drink with me, please!"

Rukia swiftly moved past Jushiro, nodding an apology to him before walking over to Rangiku and grabbing a cup of sake from the other woman.

"Come on," Shunsui said, grinning.

"…One drink, then you all leave," Jushiro said.

Shunsui grinned victoriously at his friend, then quickly walked back into the middle of the room, grabbing two cups of sake from the table. He handed a cup to Jushiro, who took the cup and sipped at it before sighing and drinking it as fast as he could. He wiped off his mouth, and was about to set the cup down onto the table when suddenly he began to cough again. He covered his mouth as Shunsui jumped in surprise, his hands hovering over his friend's shoulders.

"Ukitake, you alright?"

Rukia and Retsu immediately jumped to their feet and rushed over while the others watched, some of them concerned, others simply curious due to their drunken states. Rukia gently motioned for Jushiro to sit, and so he did so, as Retsu kneeled infront of him. His coughing lessened slightly, though blood covered his hands and shihakusho. He looked up at Retsu as she looked him over.

"You should've stayed in bed," Retsu said, frowning. "You're wound hasn't healed completely."

"I felt fine enough to stand," Jushiro replied, before coughing slightly again. "I didn't know that this would happen."

"This is my fault," Rukia said. "I should've made you lay back down."

"Don't be so negative," Jushiro said, smiling slightly. "I feel fine now, really."

"You really should be resting now," Retsu said, ignoring what he had just said. "I wish I could take you back to your room personally, but I have to stay here incase anything happens."

"I'll take him," Shuhei said, walking up to the small group as he placed his hands on his hips. Retsu looked up at him as if to say no, but he raised his hands before she could speak. "I'm not drunk, despite when Caption Kyoraku says. I only had one cup of sake to drink."

"Is that alright with you, Jushiro?" Retsu asked, looking at the white-haired Captain, who nodded.

"I don't mind. I suppose I should have known something was wrong when I had that first coughing fit," Jushiro said, chuckling slightly.

"You had an attack before this?" Retsu asked, surprised.

"It wasn't an attack. I moved around too much and upset my wound," Jushiro said, rubbing the back of his neck. Rukia walked up to him and helped him stand before moving so that Shuhei could take her place.

"I'll take him back to his room and stay with him for awhile," Shuhei said, looking at Retsu, who nodded.

"That would be for the best," she said quietly.

Shuhei, placing a hand on Jushiro's back to steady the injured man, walked out of the room with him. Jushiro laughed slightly at his current condition, receiving a strange look from Shuhei, which he waved off. Shuhei looked away as Jushiro focused his eyes on the floor, trying to hold back another coughing fit. They said nothing for several minutes as they walked towards the medical bay.

"Captain Ukitake?" Shuhei asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?"

"You seem rather distant," the Lieutenant said, before quieting down.

"I'm just thinking, that's all," Jushiro said, smiling.

"About what, exactly?" Shuhei questioned. Jushiro shrugged slightly, glancing off to the side.

"Nothing much, really," the Captain answered.

It was quiet after the short conversation had ended. Eventually the two men reached the medical bay, and Shuhei helped Jushiro back to his room silently. The Lieutenant opened the door and watched as the Captain walked in before following after him and shutting the door. Jushiro sat down on his bed and sighed before glancing up at Shuhei, who leaned against the door and folded his arms. He raised an eyebrow, and Jushiro smiled before laying down. Shuhei let out a heavy breath of air before looking up at the ceiling.

"_**Hey partner, do you run a babysitting service now?"**_

"_Shut up Kazeshini."_

"_**Don't get all huffy at me, puppy boy. I'm not the one babysitting."**_

Shuhei ignored his Zanpakuto and closed his eyes, waiting for Jushiro to go to sleep. It was several minutes before he heard the light breathing of the Captain, and he opened his eyes to check before slipping out of the room, quietly opening and closing the door. The sake party would be over by now, and he suspected that the Head Captain would have everyone take today and tomorrow off to sober up. Shuhei shrugged at that thought, because two days off did not sound that bad to him at the moment.

He made his way back as quickly as he possibly could. He figured that his help would be needed cleaning up, so he might as well.

He was halfway to the Squad 13 barracks when he felt a strong Spiritual Pressure towards the Rukon District. He paused, then rested a hand on his sword and dashed towards the nearest gate.

-0-

It did not take long for him to arrive outside of the gate. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with his left hand as he glanced around. He knew that he sensed something, but he didn't know what it was exactly. It had almost felt like a Hollow, but there wouldn't be any attacks now. At least, that was what he thought, but he was not for sure.

He walked forward, glancing from house to house. It was unusually quiet considering the fact that this place was usually quite active at this time of the day. He stopped, looking around before slowly drawing his Zanpakuto. He held it with both hands, pointing it forward.

"Come out, whoever's there!"

Shuhei spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, and he spun around, but saw nothing when he did so. He listened carefully to the sound of footsteps, and turned around again, his frustration growing.

"Show yourself!"

Something dropped down behind him, laughing. "What's wrong, Soul Reaper?"

Shuhei spun around, raising his sword, but stopped as his eyes widened.

He swung his sword downwards, trying to attack, when suddenly a blade appeared from seemingly nowhere and slashed downwards, a wave of energy slamming into him and sending him flying backwards, flipping through the air. His feet slammed into the ground, and he skidded backwards, trying to stop when he noticed that whoever had attacked him had disappeared again. He came to a stop, holding his Zanpakuto tightly in his hand as he turned around, looking for his enemy. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands before narrowing his eyes. He jumped backwards as the cloaked figure landed infront of him, and he swung his sword, striking the enemy's own sword.

"Identify yourself!" Shuhei commanded.

"Why don't you make me, _Soul Reaper!_" The figure exclaimed, slashing at Shuhei.

The tip of the sword dug into Shuhei's shoulder, causing the black-haired man to cringe before stabbing his sword forward. The figure jumped upwards just before the sword made contact, and it landed a few feet away from Shuhei, who raised his sword and dashed forward. Their swords clashed, but Shuhei was shoved backwards. The figure kicked him in the stomach as hard as it could, sending him upwards into the air. He landed on the ground, then jumped backwards, raising his right hand. A rod of energy materialized in his hand, and he flung it forward with an exclamation of "Hyapporankan!" It split into several more, which headed straight for his enemy. Many embedded themselves into the ground as the figure jumped backwards. One of the rods buried itself into the enemy's side, causing a loud grunt of pain.

"Heh, not bad. I think I chose a good one."

"What are you talking about?" Shuhei demanded, landing on the ground. He charged, appearing infront of the figure and slashing upwards, cutting its cloak in half. The two sections fluttered upwards before landing gently on the ground, and Shuhei's eyes widened. "You're a-"

The enemy paused, reaching up and pulling the mask off of her face, grinning widely.

"A Vizard? Yes, I am."

Her dark brown hair fell over her shoulders as she looked down at her shihakusho, which had been cut near her shoulder. Her golden eyes locked onto Shuhei as she smirked, grabbing him by the throat as he starred at her, surprised. He let out a choked sound, reaching up and latching his hands onto her arm. She lifted him nearly a foot off of the ground, being considerably taller than him. He coughed as his lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, and he could feel his strength start to fail him. The Vizard's smirk turned into a wide, pointed grin as she tightened her grip on Shuhei's throat.

"Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

A practical torrent of ice come from infront of the Vizard, causing her to drop Shuhei and jump into the air to avoid it. Suddenly the ice shifted, transforming into a dragon that shot upwards after her, aiming to seal her in ice. She growled, disappearing as Toshiro appeared only a few inches off the ground and caught Shuhei before the Lieutenant could slam into the dirt. Shuhei coughed loudly, rubbing his throat as Toshiro helped him to sit down.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant Hisagi?" Toshiro asked.

"Yeah. Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya," Shuhei said, resting a hand on one of his knees as he looked up at the shorter Soul Reaper.

"Don't mention it. I sensed that something was wrong and came as fast as possible," Toshiro said. He offered Shuhei a hand, and the Lieutenant took it, pushing himself to his feet as Toshiro helped by pulling him upwards "We should-"

Shuhei coughed again, briefly covering his mouth before looking at Toshiro as he stopped. "My apologies for interrupting you, Captain Hitsugaya."

"It's quite alright. Let's head back and have Captain Unohana examine you," Toshiro said, folding his arms as Shuhei nodded.

-0-

"He's fine," Retsu said, smiling slightly at Toshiro, who let out a small puff of air. Shuhei felt rather exposed since Retsu had insisted that he take off his shirt so that she could examine his chest. He only had a minor bruise where the energy attack had slammed into him. He reached upwards and rubbed his neck, wincing as it throbbed slightly. Retsu glanced back at him as Toshiro sighed.

"I'm glad I was able to get there in time before anything major happened," the shorter Soul Reaper said, arms still folded as he looked at Retsu.

"I am glad as well. One critical patient is enough to fill my hands," She said.

"How is Jushiro holding up, by the way?" Toshiro asked, unfolding his arms.

"I'm rather worried about his wound, but he says he feels fine. I estimate that he will heal in no time," she answered, her smile widening ever so slightly.

"…Captain Unohana," Shuhei spoke up, looking down at his chest as it began to ache. He placed a hand on it and grimaced just as she turned around, and she quickly made her way over to him. She kneeled, looking at his wound.

"What is it?"

"It's…burning…," he muttered, grasping at his chest as he hunched over, digging his fingers into his skin He gasped and closed his eyes as Retsu glanced up at him, then to Toshiro, who narrowed his eyes. She looked back at Shuhei and reached out to touch him, but he jerked to the side to avoid her and he began to breathe heavily. He took in a deep breath before gritting his teeth, shutting his eyes. He unexpectedly pitched forward, and Retsu barely caught him in time to stop him from falling onto the floor. She looked at him worriedly before laying him down and looking at Toshiro, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as her.

Something strange was going on.

(A/N: Phew. This is all one chapter because...well, I tried separating it into two different chapters and it didn't feel right. So, enjoy the first Arc!)


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